DUBAI: Emirates airline has offered a $7,000 (approximately Dh26,000) compensation to passengers who survived the EK521 fire accident while landing in Dubai last week, passengers told Gulf News on Wednesday.
All 300 passengers and crew members aboard the flight from Thiruvananthapuram in the south Indian state of Kerala had a narrow escape when the aircraft caught fire in an operational incident on August 3, 2016.
An Emirati firefighter lost his life during the rescue operations at the Dubai International Airport.
In a statement issued on Thursday, an Emirates spokesperson said: “We remain in contact with the passengers and can confirm that Emirates has offered financial assistance to meet their immediate needs. This includes support for their lost baggage items, as access to the aircraft is still highly restricted while investigations are underway, as well as medical expenses and other incidental expenditures. We are also refunding their tickets.”
Some passengers have confirmed receiving emails from the airline on Tuesday informing them about a $7,000 compensation per passenger.
Dr Shaji Kochukutty, whose five-member family was aboard the flight, said he received the mail from Emirates on Tuesday.
“I just glanced through it and understood there is a compensation of $7000 per passenger, including for the lost luggage and other damages. I have not shared the details with my family. I have been very busy and thought of reading the details properly on the weekend and replying to them after that.”
In Kochukutty’s case, the family stands to receive a total of $35,000 in compensation. Anil Varghese, who travelled along with his wife and two children, said he also received the mail from Emirates.
He said he wrote back to the airline acknowledging the receipt and accepting the compensation amount.
“But we are not thinking much about it now. … These are secondary things …We got our lives back. That’s more important,” said Anil who works in Dubai Media City.
However, some other passengers said they were yet to get any such mail from the airline. “I had made a couple of calls to Emirates and they asked to send an email with details of my wife and children who were on the plane. But neither my wife nor I have received any reply from them yet,” said Aju Ninan from Abu Dhabi whose wife and two children were among the passengers.
Dr Giri Shankar, whose family was also among the passengers, too said they have not received any mail from the airline.
